WEBVTT 00:09.210 --> 00:11.869 My name is Lance Corporal Sergas . I am 00:11.880 --> 00:14.250 a marine currently recovering over at 00:14.260 --> 00:16.540 Walter Reed Wound War Battalion . And I 00:16.549 --> 00:17.660 really love to draw 00:27.479 --> 00:29.701 and I've been doing it the whole time . 00:32.759 --> 00:34.703 I was in the Marine Corps for like 00:34.703 --> 00:36.759 actually a very small amount of time 00:36.759 --> 00:38.759 before I got the first injury which 00:38.759 --> 00:40.537 ended up being a fracture on my 00:40.537 --> 00:42.426 tailbone . I realized that it was 00:42.426 --> 00:44.648 becoming more and more of a problem . I 00:44.648 --> 00:46.815 have some sort of inflammation with my 00:46.815 --> 00:49.229 sciatic nerve overtly flexible or maybe 00:49.240 --> 00:51.509 it was just too inflamed or I felt it 00:51.520 --> 00:53.729 clicking at one point . I really still 00:53.740 --> 00:56.360 don't know what happened there . Coming 00:56.369 --> 00:58.549 back from surgery . It's been a whole 00:58.560 --> 01:00.449 journey in that end . I think the 01:00.449 --> 01:02.449 hardest thing about being marine is 01:02.449 --> 01:04.616 realizing that your body can't keep up 01:04.616 --> 01:06.671 with your mental fortitude . There's 01:06.671 --> 01:08.727 days where I feel great and I , I go 01:08.727 --> 01:10.782 out and I try to run and then I come 01:10.782 --> 01:13.004 back and it's like I struggle to put my 01:13.004 --> 01:15.230 clothes on in the morning . I think 01:15.239 --> 01:17.406 that's just kind of like heartbreaking 01:17.406 --> 01:19.628 for me . But I'm taking that experience 01:19.628 --> 01:21.795 and I'm using it as nightmare fuel for 01:21.795 --> 01:23.795 my future endeavors . I always knew 01:23.795 --> 01:25.961 that the Marine Corps had some sort of 01:25.961 --> 01:28.072 appreciation for artwork . I would go 01:28.072 --> 01:30.072 up to my superiors and I would tell 01:30.072 --> 01:29.480 them go , I can draw you in five 01:29.489 --> 01:31.656 minutes and they're like , no , wait , 01:31.656 --> 01:33.545 like what ? Like , it just like , 01:33.545 --> 01:35.711 sounded so bizarre to them . I started 01:35.711 --> 01:38.045 taking on bigger projects , like murals , 01:38.045 --> 01:40.267 portraits . I'm gonna have to pour in a 01:40.267 --> 01:42.211 bit of weight . Uh , there we go . 01:42.750 --> 01:44.806 Let's add a little bit more white to 01:44.806 --> 01:47.500 that . And now I'm here doing this 01:47.510 --> 01:49.980 mural isn't too thick , but it's thick 01:49.989 --> 01:53.180 enough . Yeah , I feel like if I'm 01:53.190 --> 01:55.190 gonna leave with something , I'm at 01:55.190 --> 01:57.246 least gonna leave knowing that I did 01:57.246 --> 01:59.412 that . I participated . But I also did 01:59.412 --> 02:01.634 my part in documenting and I'll forever 02:01.634 --> 02:03.912 have this like memorabilia that I made . 02:03.912 --> 02:06.190 I'm so glad there's more blue in there . 02:06.800 --> 02:08.744 The community that I found over at 02:08.744 --> 02:10.967 Walter Reed was very different . Coming 02:10.967 --> 02:12.856 here . It's like everyone has the 02:12.856 --> 02:12.500 understanding that there's some sort of 02:12.509 --> 02:14.619 physical or mental incapacity and 02:14.630 --> 02:16.797 that's fine . No one's gonna judge you 02:16.797 --> 02:18.908 for it . No one's gonna set you aside 02:18.908 --> 02:21.019 for it . No one will think of you any 02:21.019 --> 02:23.241 less . If there's any combinations , if 02:23.241 --> 02:25.297 you need any help , they're the ones 02:25.297 --> 02:24.979 that are gonna come up and volunteer to 02:24.990 --> 02:26.879 help you . Like you don't have to 02:26.879 --> 02:28.934 explain yourself . You don't have to 02:28.934 --> 02:30.990 tell anyone . Yeah . It's gonna look 02:30.990 --> 02:32.601 darker on the mural itself . 02:32.601 --> 02:34.768 Unfortunately , I never really get the 02:34.768 --> 02:36.546 opportunity to expose my war to 02:36.546 --> 02:38.657 audience . I'm really excited in that 02:38.657 --> 02:40.712 aspect as I am getting here in a few 02:40.712 --> 02:41.089 days 02:50.440 --> 02:52.580 today is the Warrior Care Week over 02:52.589 --> 02:54.700 here at the DC Harbor . They're doing 02:54.700 --> 02:56.690 art and therapy programs for the 02:56.699 --> 02:58.940 service members and retired service 02:58.949 --> 03:02.429 members . I I was very nervous about 03:02.440 --> 03:05.509 putting this project out there . I feel 03:05.520 --> 03:07.839 very vulnerable . It's , it's taken a 03:07.850 --> 03:10.070 lot to even just be here the first day 03:10.320 --> 03:13.440 we connected immediately . Um because 03:13.449 --> 03:15.338 she has so many things that I was 03:15.338 --> 03:16.893 interested in fundamentally 03:16.893 --> 03:19.227 understanding how her journey was going . 03:19.227 --> 03:21.227 And I think she's here to get a few 03:21.227 --> 03:23.227 more tools in her , in her , in her 03:23.227 --> 03:25.393 rucksack . But more so it's because of 03:25.393 --> 03:27.393 her , it's just because of what she 03:27.393 --> 03:29.505 puts into this program and what she's 03:29.505 --> 03:31.671 trying to get out of it , whether it's 03:31.671 --> 03:33.838 through her art or her ability just to 03:33.838 --> 03:35.893 communicate with others . We are all 03:35.893 --> 03:38.060 family . If there's any sort of honest 03:38.060 --> 03:40.227 depiction , non glorified whatsoever , 03:40.227 --> 03:42.282 it's what's in that book . There are 03:42.282 --> 03:42.039 people that have literally passed away 03:42.050 --> 03:44.106 and are in that book because that is 03:44.106 --> 03:46.383 those are the experiences that live on . 03:46.383 --> 03:48.606 I was in those moments , drawing them . 03:48.606 --> 03:50.717 I remember how they felt , how they , 03:50.717 --> 03:52.994 how they looked , what they said to me . 03:52.994 --> 03:52.570 And then there's funny moments , 03:52.580 --> 03:54.747 embarrassing moments that I don't want 03:54.747 --> 03:57.360 to show anyone . It's been a delight to 03:57.369 --> 03:59.690 see people flip through every page , 03:59.699 --> 04:01.755 their , their expression . I've been 04:01.755 --> 04:03.866 just , I haven't told anyone that I'm 04:03.866 --> 04:05.977 watching but I'm watching , I've been 04:05.977 --> 04:08.088 drawing everyone else like it's never 04:08.088 --> 04:10.143 me . I can look at someone else as a 04:10.143 --> 04:12.199 complete image , but I can't look at 04:12.199 --> 04:14.366 myself that way and feel fragmented in 04:14.366 --> 04:16.421 a way . I feel like I'm very hard on 04:16.421 --> 04:18.588 myself and I hold everyone off to that 04:18.588 --> 04:20.699 standard and to see people up here be 04:20.699 --> 04:22.366 very unapologetic about their 04:22.366 --> 04:24.532 experiences and be considered an equal 04:24.532 --> 04:26.588 was something that I never thought I 04:26.588 --> 04:26.279 would come to terms with 04:34.709 --> 04:36.765 your health . Isn't your worth . You 04:36.769 --> 04:38.936 shouldn't feel at fault for the things 04:38.936 --> 04:40.936 that are happening , but you should 04:40.936 --> 04:43.158 definitely assess why they're happening 04:43.158 --> 04:45.213 and keep your health in mind first . 04:45.213 --> 04:47.380 Always . You see how level you got the 04:47.380 --> 04:49.491 paint here . I need some more of that 04:49.491 --> 04:51.547 spread around . It's just a bit of a 04:51.547 --> 04:53.713 hurdle as I get set up for whatever my 04:53.713 --> 04:53.109 next thing is , it could be college , 04:53.119 --> 04:55.341 it could be work . Hopefully , I get to 04:55.341 --> 04:57.452 kind of use this as yet another facet 04:57.452 --> 04:59.609 to bring me into that . Yeah , that's 04:59.619 --> 05:00.309 perfect .